If you were to look at the lunches I ate in grade school, you (and I) would never believe that I would go on to write a food blog years later. Inside my plain brown bag I carried to school every day was a simple baggie containing my sandwich. No zip lock here. It was the old school fold the flap in and the top over. Yes, these were the lean years, the pre-ziploc days. The sandwich didn't include arugula or sun dried tomatoes and wasn't on gluten free, all natural artisanal bread. No, it was constructed on plain white, soft Wonder bread with a smear of butter, or rather margarine, and a Kraft American cheese slice carefully unfolded from its single serving wrapper. I guess all those preservatives need to be contained. Four slices of hard salami would go on top with each slice touching an opposite corner of the Wonder bread. The sandwich was precisely cut in half and devoured by me every day at school for eight years. Sure there was an occasional pizza day or charcuterie shortage, but the salami and cheese sandwich was my staple. My given. My go to.

I imagine you have a story like this as well. My brother's personal salami and cheese was a PB&J. Everyday. He still loves it and eats it regularly. We took my mom's homemade school lunches for granted. Our little brown bags would always be lined up for us on the kitchen counter every morning before school. Every morning, that is, until we graduated and took the reigns to make ourselves the exact same sandwiches every day.

There are some kids that don't have a brown bag lunch waiting for them. They don't have a go-to sandwich. Today I'm dedicating my blog post to those kids. I'm working with The Giving Table and other food bloggers around the world to help The Lunchbox Fund raise just $5,000 to help provide a daily meal to 100 South African school children for an entire year. 65% of children in South Africa live in poverty. Almost 20% of the kids are orphans who have lost their parents to HIV and AIDS. Giving kids lunch is an incentive for them to attend school, stay focused and obtain a good education for a better life.

I'm hoping you'll join me in raising awareness and funds to help feed kids in South Africa. Here's where you can make your own donation. Just $10 can give a child their sole meal of the day. Perhaps consider foregoing the extra chia seed boost in your morning smoothie, and you'll see your money make a big difference in many children's lives.

I will say that I've come a long way from those Wonder bread salami and Kraft American cheese sandwiches. I don't eat any of those items now, except for maybe some salami, which would need to be on a nice locally created charcuterie board avec fromage. My go to lunch now is fresh fruits and vegetables over greens or mixed in quinoa. I like eating food in its most natural state and the salad gets me closest to that and furthest from the plastic wrapped sandwich from years ago. That said, I'm just grateful I've never had to worry about where and when my next meal was coming. Thanks for reading and helping today.

Tasting Page

Certified Nutrition and Wellness Coach who creates real food gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free recipes. You’ll also find health information to live your best life, as well as healthy dining and travel options when exploring Los Angeles and the rest of the world.

Tasting Page is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical or healthcare advice. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any illness, medical condition or mental or emotional condition.